"The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: ‘You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together’. THIS IS THE LIBERATION WHICH WE ARE PROCLAIMING."
Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas (2002)

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

People in Need make international appeal for jailed Cuban rapper El Critico

Imprisoned Cuban rapper faces show trial on June 20, 2014 below is a reproduction of People in Need's appeal for Angel Y. Arzuaga.

New international appeal to free El Critico

By Miranda Fuertes / People In Need

The striking case of Angel Yunier Remon Arzuaga, a young Cuban rapper
from Bayamo who is more commonly known by the stage name El Critico del
Arte, has been made public through the Twitter campaign #FreeElCritico
and a petition in his name on change.org. He has been illegally
imprisoned and is still waiting for a date to be set for a proper trial.
Rumor has it that El Critico del Arte will be given an eight year
sentence for resisting arrest.

This member of the group Los Hijos Que Nadie Quiso has freely
expressed his discontent with the current regime in Cuba through his
lyrics: “Yo no inventé lo de los actos de repudio/ yo no hundí el
remolcador 13 de marzo/ yo no fui el que asesinó a Boitel/ yo no soy el
culpable del Mariel/yo no reprimo al que piense diferente/ yo no tranqué
a 75 inocentes/ mira cuantos delitos en la gaveta tú has guarda’o/ este
sí es mi delito/ hablar de lo que tú no has habla’o” which means: “ l
did not invent the acts of repudiation / I did not sink the tug on March
13th / I was not the one who killed Boitel / I am not guilty for Mariel
/ I do not repress those who think differently / I did not lock up 75
innocent people / Look how many offenses you have kept hidden under lock
and key/ Yes this is my crime /To talk about what you have not”.

He has paid dearly for exercising freedom of speech. Angel was
violently arrested in March 2013 following the “antirevolutionary”
speech he was holding in front of his house in Bayamo. He was beaten
repeatedly, denied family visits, and was not given medical treatment.
Just six months after being jailed he contracted cholera. His wife has
also been subject to aggressive actions and was detained by the State
Police, when she participated in a march of The Ladies in White – which
take place every Sunday – to protest against his unfair detention and to
denounce the political motivation behind it. He has already held both
hunger and thirst strikes three times and has had to be hospitalized as a
result.

His situation has been made more difficult by the isolated nature of
the region where he lives, where media access is limited and the
visibility of such cases is lower, which typically allows the State
National Security forces to act with a higher degree of impunity.
Despite public support from politicians and artists, El Critico remains
imprisoned more than one year after his detention.

We at People In Need strongly believe that the basic rights of
freedom of expression, the manifestation of ideas, and freedom of belief
must be available to all without fear of repression. We are convinced
that anyone would stand up against someone that was overtly trying to
oppress them for their beliefs. As the situation of El Critico has
remained unchanged and his health is in peril, we are appealing to you,
to speak up about his case to increase its visibility, and to give back
to him the voice that was taken away in such an unlawful and violent
way.

Cuban rappers continue to risk their freedom to criticize the regime
Although criticizing the Cuban government through music is a risky
business, Cubans still use it to express their discontent with the
communist regime. Whether they are established names in the industry,
like Los Aldeanos, or younger musicians like Los Censurados or Los Hijos
Que Nadie Quiso, they all rap their truth regardless of the risks they
are undertaking. As difficult as it is to get information about this
musical scene because of constant censoring, we have discovered that
their struggle continues on a daily basis.

Los Censurados, a young Cuban rap duo, spoke about the harsh
repression they face back home when they performed in Prague last March,
following an invitation from People In Need. They dedicated their
concert to all the imprisoned Cuban dissidents and in particular to El
Critico del Arte, the rapper and human right activist.